....and it would be a festive-enough Fall season without a Good Old Fashioned Apple Pie, with freshly picked apples from your trip to the orchard, of course. (Try it warm with a slice of extra sharp cheddar cheese - you can thank me later.)

1.21.2015

Our daughter is growing up before our very eyes. It feels like just yesterday I was getting excited about the milestones of my sweet baby walking and talking, and all of a sudden she's gabbing about boys for hours on the phone, going to her first school dance and taking frequent outings to the roller rink on Friday nights. It's so bittersweet, and lately I find myself really grasping at straws, trying to navigate a rapidly changing family dynamic with a daughter who is no longer a little girl, but a young woman.

In the blink of any eye the years fly by, the holidays come and go, and before we know it we're celebrating the coming of a new year while reminiscing about the good times and waving goodbye to the not so good ones.

This year, I have come up with an idea to help me hold on to our precious memories for a little longer - a family memory jar. It's simple, takes very little time and is a wonderful way to keep the memories you hold dear not only for the coming year, but forever.

Throughout the year, we will be writing down some of our favorite memories along the way and placing them in the jar for safe keeping until the coming New Year's Eve, when we will take a walk down memory lane by reading them all and reminiscing as we count down to the big ball drop.

Once we're done, I plan on using the slips of paper to create a keepsake of some kind - a scrapbook, a memory tree...I'm still thinking on that one, but I'd like to preserve them somehow.

Directions:

1) Print and cut out your chosen printable Family Memory Jar graphic (below) on white paper or heavy card stock.
2) Place horizontally around the jar, about halfway up, securing with tape in the back
3) Start making (and writing down) some memories!

Click here to print the above directions --->

Download your chosen graphic below:

Did you create your own Family Memory Jar? I'd love to see your finished project!

1.19.2015

I made these Mini Ham & Veggie Egg Cups this past Saturday for a brunch I was hostessing and they were a total hit! Clean, simple and totally delicious, I plan on making up a few batches and freezing them for an easy breakfast on school days - just heat and eat! I was able to find a package of ham already diced small in the deli section at the grocery store, so that eliminated a step right away. These cuties are also super versatile, so I'm able to switch up which meats and veggies I use depending on what we're in the mood for (or more likely what I have on hand). The perfect healthy breakfast or snack!

Mini Ham & Veggie Egg Cups

Ingredients:

½ cup onion, finely chopped

½ cup fresh broccoli, finely chopped

½ cup yellow bell pepper, finely chopped

2/3 cup ham, chopped (about 2 ounces)

⅓ cup extra-sharp shredded cheddar cheese

2 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped

1/8 teaspoon dried thyme

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

4 large eggs

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray a large nonstick skillet with clean cooking spray or a drizzle of oil (such as organic coconut oil spray or a teaspoon or two of organic coconut oil) and heat over medium-high heat. Add onion, broccoli and yellow pepper, and saute 2 minutes or until crisp-tender. Add ham and saute 3 minutes. Remove from heat.

Combine cheese, chives, thyme, pepper and eggs in a bowl and stir gently with a whisk. Add ham mixture, stirring with whisk.

1.17.2015

Kenzie is staying the night with a friend tonight, so out of boredom I whipped up some super adorable printable coloring pages for Groundhog's Day. I thought it would be a cute way leading up to this sometimes forgotten holiday to chart your children's predictions (as well as this year's results) for Mr. Groundhog. Just a cute little activity for you and your littles to enjoy together and a sweet memento to add to the growing stash of your kids' artwork. ;)

Download and print the coloring pages below!

Did you and your kiddos enjoy this activity? I'd love to hear about it in the comments!

This week is the start of a few schedule changes going on in our household. Kenzie is playing for her middle school basketball team, and after a grueling few weeks of 10 practice hours/week, it's game time! Side note: as I type "10 practice hours/week", it doesn't seem like much...then I add in the 7 hour school days and she would already be in overtime if this was a job. Throw homework and things like dinner and actually having time to shower, and my chickadee is doing some seriously hard work lately! I'm extremely proud of her for working so hard and of what a well adjusted and amazing young lady she is blossoming into.

That being said, I'm super psyched to see her on the court again! This is her first year playing for a school-based team - in the past she's been a part of the local city league, which starts in November and runs through February with a weekly practice OR game. But from here on out it's three days of practices and either home or away games on the other two days, five days a week.

To accommodate our new arrangements, I switched the days we do leftovers since Tuesday and Thursday are game days and we most likely won't be sitting down for dinner until much later in the evening. I'm hoping that will keep things much more simple in the coming weeks!

1.14.2015

Clean and healthy, this hearty stew recipe could fool even the harshest of health-food critics. and the best part is that you literally dump a few ingredients in the crockpot and walk away. Easy peasy and totally delish!

Clean & Healthy Chicken Tortilla Stew

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 (12 oz-16 oz.) jar of your favorite clean/organic salsa

1 (14 oz. ) can organic black beans, drained

1 pound frozen corn, thawed

1 pound frozen, mixed bell peppers

3 organic, corn tortillas, ripped by hand

1/4 tsp. paprika

1/4 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. seasoning salt (I like Everyday Seasoning from Trader Joe's)

Sliced black olives and plain greek yogurt for garnish (optional)

Directions:

Place the chicken (either raw or still frozen) in the bottom of the crock pot. Pour seasonings and salsa over chicken. Add corn, bell peppers, and corn tortillas.

Cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 4-6 hours.

About 15 minutes before serving, add black beans and use a wooden spoon to break apart the chicken and mix everything up.

Serve garnished with some sliced, black olives and/or a dab of plain greek yogurt in place of sour cream - and your kiddos won't even notice! (wink wink)

1.10.2015

With a scheduled business meeting, a parent meeting for Kenzie's new basketball season, and also a new exercise routine on the schedule for this week, our evenings will be jam-packed nearly every night. To keep things simple, I reached into my recipe box for some tried and true, quick and easy meals. Enjoy!

1.02.2015

The stress of trying to decide what's for dinner is one nearly every mama can relate to. As I've gotten older, it's become very apparent to me that planning is the key to my success when it comes to cooking healthy and nutritious dinners for my family. When I don't take the time to sit down and menu plan, my week inevitably falls apart day by day, and we fall into the trap of planning to fail and end up with take out - not good.

I've been menu planning for a long time now, but I thought it might be fun to share my love of weekly menus here with all you lovelies, as well! And while we're at it, why not make it cute and colorful?

We typically try to eat pretty clean, which will be a new twist for the blog as we just started this type of lifestyle within the last few months, but all of the food I make is kid-approved by my 12-year-old. Of course, she's not typically very picky. She doesn't like corn...but she loves brussel sprouts! (I love corn, so you will see it on my menus and in some of my dishes - she's pretty good about picking around it or I'll make her a different veggie - she could eat broccoli seven days a week and be happy!)

Every once in awhile I'll throw in a classic family favorite (i.e. probably not clean...or healthy) or an indulgent dessert, but other than that our menu will be strictly clean and healthy. It's all about balance.

Each week, I'll be posting a new menu, along with a fun and colorful printable for you as well! Stay tuned for recipes as the weeks go on, and if you need ideas in the mean time be sure to visit my Recipe Box!